“With a focus on continuous improvement, the Baldrige Award-winning organizations have made excellence a part of their culture. The recipients represent the best of American organizations, and they are models for others to learn from and to emulate,” said Secretary Evans at the awards ceremony.

Branch-Smith Printing drew the attention of the awards committee after it experienced a 72 percent growth in sales over four years and held that gain in 2002, when the rest of the industry declined 6.6 percent. The company also grew its customer base from 91 in 1998 to 167 in 2002.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was established in 1987 to improve performance in U.S. organizations. Awards can be given in five categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education and health care.

The two other 2002 recipients were Motorola Commercial Government & Industrial Solutions Sector and SSM Health Care.

The award application process is rigorous and thorough. Applicants submit up to 50 pages of details showing processes, improvements and results in seven areas, including leadership, customers and markets, human resources and strategic planning.

Each applicant receives more than 400 hours of review by an independent board of business, education and health care experts, and a detailed report citing strengths and opportunities for improvement.